Since 1978, the abundance of Coccinella septempunctata L. has been recorded at a hibernation site in the western Czech Republic. Over the years, abundance varied by two orders of magnitude and a long-term trend for decrease in C. septempunctata abundance was observed beginning in the early 1990s. This recession was correlated with the decreasing abundance of its dominant prey, cereal aphids. The acreage of small grain cereals and other crops suitable for breeding C. septempunctata populations also decreased. The change in abundance of cereal aphids may be associated with a dramatic decrease in fertilizer input after 1990. Decreasing fertilizer use has changed the quality of small grain cereal crops and is reflected in lower yields.

The Large Copper butterfly, Lycaena dispar batavus, is extinct in Britain and rapidly declining in Europe, due predominantly to loss of its wetland habitats. Northern populations have more specialised foodplant and habitat requirements than their more southerly counterparts and rely solely on Rumex hydrolapathum, the Great Water Dock, as their hostplants. Southern colonies use a greater range of Rumex. Previous work has shown that specialisation is not due to foodplant chemistry and in this paper we investigate the ability of different Rumex species to support the larval stages of L. d. batavus in a natural environment. Comparisons were also made between a captive colony at Woodwalton Fen, Cambridgeshire, UK and native larvae at De Weerribben, Netherlands. Field experiments using a captive colony revealed that other Rumex hosts can successfully support larvae throughout each of their larval stages in wet grassland and fenland habitats with no significant differences in survival rates compared with their natural hostplant R. hydrolapathum. An overwintering experiment using a native wild population of both butterfly and Rumex species in De Weerribben found 25% of larvae survived on the natural hostplant R. hydrolapathum and no survivors on alternative Rumex hosts. It is suggested that R. crispus and R. obtusifolius growing in their natural habitat may harbour significant competitors to L. d. batavus leading to its specialisation on R. hydrolapathum in fenland habitats.

The natural prey of the jumping spider Menemerus taeniatus (L. Koch, 1867) was studied on the Absheron Peninsula, Azerbaijan. The percentage of specimens of M. taeniatus found feeding was low (10.7%). This investigation showed that M. taeniatus is a polyphagous predator feeding on a wide range of arthropods, including representatives of eight arthropod orders. The primary food of M. taeniatus was Diptera and Lepidoptera, which collectively made up about two thirds of total prey. The length of prey killed by M. taeniatus ranged between 1.10 and 13.00 mm (mean 6.14 mm), which is between 15.2 and 216.7% (mean 90.3%) of the length of their captors. Most frequently taken prey (50%) were medium-sized arthropods varying between 50-100% of the spiders' body length.

The duration of the increase, peak and decline in abundance of the immature stages of sycamore and cereal aphids each year is ephemeral. These temporary resources are exploited by a sequence of aphidophagous insect predators. The temporal sequence in the appearance of the immature stages of coccinellids and syrphids in the sycamore and cereal aphid systems is defined. In spring in the sycamore aphid system and early summer in the cereal aphid system the immature stages of syrphids consistently appeared before those of coccinellids. In the case of the sycamore aphid the autumnal peak in abundance was on average larger than the spring peak, and although attacked by more syrphids, it was not exploited by coccinellids. These temporal patterns in the attack sequence are associated with a difference in the lower developmental thresholds (LDT) of these two groups of predators. The LDT of syrphids (4°C) enables them to be active at lower temperatures and to develop faster between 10° and 27°C than coccinellids, whose LDT is 10°C. As a consequence, early in the year, when temperatures are low but increasing, syrphids appear before and complete their development more quickly than coccinellids, and in the latter half of the year, when temperatures are generally lower and decreasing, only syrphids are likely to be able to complete their development before the aphids disappear. Thus, the niche shift between syrphids and coccinellids is possibly more a consequence of a phylogenetic constraint than a response to competition and or intraguild predation. The relevance of these findings for the ecology of intraguild predation is discussed.

The relative occurrence and seasonal abundance of aphidophagous predators (Insecta and Arachnida) were determined in alfalfa fields at two locations in the northeast Iberian Peninsula, using D-Vac and sweep-net sampling techniques. Among the insects, Heteroptera, Dermaptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera and Diptera were found. The relative abundance of predators was similar at the two locations. Polyphagous predators were much more abundant than aphid specific species. Heteroptera were the most abundant order of insect predators: members of the Nabidae, Anthocoridae and Miridae were very common. Coleoptera were also abundant, represented mainly by the family Staphylinidae. Coccinellidae were less abundant and their occurrence coincided with maximum aphid presence. There was a low occurrence of other aphid-specific predators, i.e. Diptera: Syrphidae and Neuroptera: Chrysopidae. Arachnida varied between localities (from 35% to 65%). Over a five-year period, numerical responses by Orius spp., Nabis provencalis and Coccinellidae to aphids were found using polynomial regression models; however the abundance of predators was weakly explained by aphid abundance. Alfalfa, maize and winter cereals share similar aphid predator groups and these crops partially coincide in time, enabling the movement of predators among crops. The persistence of several predatory groups (Anthocoridae, Nabidae, Staphylinidae, Araneae) during most of the season suggests that alfalfa plays a major role as a reservoir of aphid predators.

The first and third larval stages of Nearctic Anisotoma blanchardi (Horn, 1880) are described in detail and figured for the first time; measurements and chaetotaxy of head, mouthparts, thorax, abdomen, leg and urogomphi are given. Larval morphology of the blanchardi group is discussed. The blanchardi species group, proposed after a study of adult characters, is very important phylogenetically because it is a basal group in the genus and sister group to all the remaining groups. Larval characters confirm the monophyly of the group. The common larval characters of the blanchardi species group are: (i) presence of primary setae below the posterior row of terga, (ii) secondary microsculpture on the head, dense, present from the base of the head to the anterolateral arms of the epicranial suture and fronto-clypeal furrow, (iii) sclerotization around sockets of primary posterior setae of thorax of instar III, (iv) presence of clypeal furrow in the third stage, (v) presence of setae Dc1, Dd1, Dc2, Dd2a on head in instar III, (vi) urogomphomere 1 and 2 similar in length and proportion.

The suctorial proboscis of adult Lepidoptera represents a key morphological innovation that enabled these insects to gain access to new food sources. In the ancestral condition of the lepidopteran proboscis only extrinsic galeal muscles are present in the basal joint region. The presence of additional muscles (i.e., the intrinsic galeal muscles) is regarded as a morphological novelty of the Myoglossata that evolved after the galeae were modified to form suctorial mouthparts. The present comparative investigation of the galeal anatomy in representatives of all major taxa revealed that the intrinsic galeal muscles are derived from the basal galeal musculature. In the examined Neopseustoidea, Exoporia, Nepticuloidea, Incurvarioidea, and Tischerioidea all galeal muscles have their origin in the stipes-galea joint and/or in the proximal region of the galea. Two muscle units form the basal galeal musculature of the joint region and one to three longitudinal muscles extend into the galea lumen. Multiple intrinsic galeal muscles, of which both the origin and attachment sites are markedly distal from the basal joint region are regarded as a groundplan autapomorphy of the Ditrysia. Some slightly oblique muscles may occur along the lateral wall; these were lost in species with extremely slender galeae. In most investigated Obtectomera two series of intrinsic galeal muscles occur; these are the (1) oblique lateral intrinsic galeal muscles, which are arranged one upon the other along the lateral proboscis wall and (2) the median intrinsic galeal muscles, which run more or less longitudinally along the ventral wall. Oblique muscle arrangement probably evolved in concert with the functional demands of a long lepidopteran proboscis. A likely evolutionary pathway to account for the serial arrangement of galeal muscles is proposed.

The maximum size of ingested ball-shaped particles was determined in three species of adult dung feeding beetle: Anoplotrupes (Geotrupes) stercorosus and Geotrupes spiniger (Geotrupidae, Geotrupinae) and Sphaeridium lunatum (Hydrophilidae, Sphaeridiinae). Maximum diameters were 40-65 µm, 60-75 µm and 16-19 µm in A. stercorosus, G. spiniger and S. lunatum, respectively, and it was concluded that these beetles feed in the same way as found in previous studies on coprophagous scarabaeids (Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae). Coarse particles, mainly indigestible plant fragments, are rejected by an unknown filtering mechanism, and only very small particles are actually ingested. The two geotrupids, however, tolerate somewhat larger particles than do scarabaeines of similar size. This may reflect a lower degree of specialisation towards dung feeding in the geotrupids than in the scarabaeines. In several ways, the mouthparts of the coprophagous Scarabaeidae, Geotrupidae and Hydrophilidae show essentially the same morphological modifications that must be adaptations for dung feeding. For the hydrophilid (Sphaeridium), such modifications are described for the first time. They include asymmetric mandibular molars (right convex, left concave), fitting exactly into each other, with highly specialised surfaces that may concentrate the food prior to ingestion by squeezing fluid out of it. Other examples are the conjunctives (scarabaeids and geotrupids) or similar structures (the hydrophilid) and the large, hairy, pad-like distal lobes of the maxillar galeae. Provided that current views on the evolutionary history of these beetles are correct, dung feeding has arisen independently in the Scarabaeidae, Geotrupidae and Hydrophilidae. If so, the feeding on very small particles and the concomitant modifications of mouthparts in these three groups must be results of parallel evolution.

Some features of the biology and feeding relationships of small waterbugs (Notonectidae, Corixidae, Pleidae, Helotrephidae, Aphelocheiridae) and ripicolous bugs (Gelastocoridae, Ochteridae) are reviewed. Individual families are discussed as predators or as prey of other animals. Special attention is given to characteristics and relationships that affect human beings directly or indirectly. The most important relationships from the economic point of view are: bugs and blood-sucking Diptera, bugs and fish, bugs and some endangered or protected amphibians and water birds. Of less importance is the occasional use of some aquatic bugs as saprobity bioindicators. It seems that the economic importance of these bugs has been underestimated.

The methylated H3 histone and heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) are markers of heterochromatin in several eukaryotes possessing monocentric chromosomes. In order to confirm that these epigenetic markers of heterochromatin are evolutionary conserved, the distribution of methylated H3 histones and HP1 homologues on the holocentric chromosomes of the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae (Lepidoptera) were studied. In particular, PCR experiments with degenerated primers identified a HP1 homologue (called MbHP1) in the M. brassicae genome. Sequencing showed that the MbHP1 gene is 737 bp long including a 102 bp 5'UTR and a 635 bp coding portion (comprising an 80 bp intron). The MbHP1 peptide consisted of 184 amino acids, had a 20 kDa molecular mass and a net negative charge. At the structural level, it showed an N terminal chromo-domain and a chromo-shadow-domain at the C terminus linked by a short hinge region. At the cytogenetic level, MbHP1 was located exclusively in the heterochromatic regions of the chromosomes. The same heterochromatic regions became labelled after immuno-staining with antibodies against H3 histone methylated at lysine 9, reinforcing the hypothesis that this modified histone is essential for HP1 binding. Our data, as a whole, confirm that heterochromatic components and markers are evolutionary conserved both in mono- and holocentric chromosomes despite the difference in the distribution of heterochromatin on chromosomes.

This series of symposia has traditionally been a unique scientific forum for discussions on ecological and behavioural interactions within the guild of insects feeding on aphids. Its focus is to understand how natural control works, with the aim to improve it. After the initial two meetings in Czechoslovakia, symposia were organised in Poland, Hungary, France, Belgium, Canada and Portugal. The ninth meeting was held once again in the Czech Republic.
Details on history of the meetings, with bibliographic data from all Proceedings, can be found at . News will appear there continually.
This issue is the outcome of the 9th meeting that was attended by 56 participants from 21 countries. Abstracts of the presentations not included in this issue appeared under ISBN 80-86668-02-09, Ecology of Aphidophaga 9, Abstracts, 2004, Inst. Entomol. Acad. Sci. Czech Rep., 92 pp.
We look forward to the 10th meeting in 2007 that will be organised by N. Kavallieratos, E. Lucas and J.P. Michaud.

July 10, 2005
The Editors

We used the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi reared in its host Acyrthosiphon pisum to examine if male sexual attractive responses can be conditioned to an odour (vanilla) that is not present in the natural environment. We used prior mating experience (exposure to females) as a non-conditioning stimulus and vanilla odour as a conditioning stimulus. The behavioural responses were tested in a glass Y-olfactometer just after eclosion (i.e., initial response) and after a training experience (i.e., trained response). During the 10-min training period individual males were allowed to copulate with a virgin female with or without vanilla odour present, or were exposed only to vanilla odour. Wing fanning was a recurrent behaviour which denoted increased sexual attraction to a volatile stimulus. Total time and time doing wing fanning in each olfactometer arm were determined. Vanilla odour, which initially did not elicit sexual-related behaviours, triggered strong sexual attractive responses when males were trained to females plus vanilla odour. Neither copulation only nor vanilla odour only treatments elicited such behaviours in trained males. The results are discussed in terms of parasitoid learning ability and its ecological consequences.

Analysis of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region (CR) was used to examine the dispersal of females of a geometrid moth, Epirrita autumnata, in Fennoscandia. A 542-bp-portion of the CR of 200 individuals from four northern and four southern localities was sequenced. The mtDNA CR of E. autumnata contains a substantial amount of variation as a total of 108 mtDNA haplotypes were observed. Between the northern and the southern localities (~1100 km), there was a moderate level of genetic differentiation (F_ST = 0.128). The amount of variation in the mtDNA CR of E. autumnata was lower in the north than in the south. The reduction in genetic variability may result from a combination of historical bottlenecks that date back to the post-glacial recolonization of Fennoscandia and, present-day bottlenecks due to the northern E. autumnata populations experiencing repeated outbreaks followed by collapse in population size. On a small spatial scale (0.6-19 km), within the northern and southern areas, no genetic differentiation was detected suggesting ongoing gene flow due to the dispersal of E. autumnata females among the localities. This finding was contrary to our earlier expectation of poor flying ability of E. autumnata females.

The aim of this study was to clarify the diet of Ceratomegilla notata (Laicharting), a common species in different mountain habitats of the Palearctic region. In Italy it is found only in alpine ecosystems between 800-1700 m. In these areas, up to 1200 m, various crops (e.g., maize, potatoes) are present. The high meadows are cut for hay. From 2002 to 2003 investigations on the foraging behaviour of this ladybird were carried out in mountain habitats (six near Villabassa, in Bolzano province, and six near Soraga, in Trento province) and in the "Paradisia" Botanic Garden (Gran Paradiso National Park). C. notata adults and larvae were found on the flowering plants, especially those infested by aphids. The study of their diet was done taking random D-Vac samples of 20 adults and 20 larvae/habitat every 15 days, between July and September. The influence of the haymaking on C. notata populations was also evaluated.
In agricultural fields the ladybirds prey on Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch), R. padi (L.) on maize and on Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) and Therioaphis luteola (Born.) on Trifolium pratense L. In the natural pastures, adults and larvae feed on Cavariella theobaldi G. & B. found on Heracleum sphondylium (Umbelliferae), Sitobion avenae L. on Avena sativa L., Megoura viciae (B.) and A. pisum on Vicia cracca L., Uroleucon jaceae (L.) on Cirsium arvense Scop., U. cichorii (Koch) on Hypochaeris radicata L. and Macrosiphum weberi Born. on Scabiosa sp. A study of the gut contents revealed the presence of aphids, Umbelliferae pollens and spores of fungi (e.g., Alternaria spp., Helminthosporium spp., Puccinia spp.). Statistically significant associations between different food sources were more frequent for adults than for larvae in both 2002 and 2003. Thrips are an important prey of this ladybird in the absence of aphids. C. notata is an important aphidophagous species in Alpine habitats.

Mate choice, reproductive success and fecundity of typical and melanic morphs of C. septempunctata were studied. Melanic as well as typical individuals preferred to mate with melanic males and females. Mate choice was mainly determined by females and to a lesser degree by males. Mating duration, oviposition period, and lifetime fecundity were highest (51.20 ± 2.82 min, 47.00 ± 2.79 days and 705.40 ± 69.85 eggs) when a melanic female mated with a melanic male and lowest (38.94 ± 1.68 min, 26.10 ± 2.54 days, 395.9 ± 36.25 eggs) when a typical female mated with a typical male. Longevity of both sexes of melanics was higher than of typicals. The fecundity function of both morphs was triangular but the daily oviposition was irregular. In melanic and typical females the peak oviposition (66.40 eggs/day and 48.30 eggs/day) occurred on the 23^rd and 14^th day of the oviposition period, respectively. Oviposition peaked earlier in typical females, but peak oviposition was higher and the oviposition period longer in melanic females. The higher reproductive success of melanics may favour this morph over typicals.

The effect of removing the functional pair of Kalotermes flavicollis from an experimental colony for 12, 24 or 48 h and the repeated removal for a particular number of hours per day (2, 4, 6, 12, 18, 20, and 22 h) was studied. An absence of the functional pair for 12 h had no affect on the development of new neotenics, whereas 24-h absence induced the development of new neotenics in 5 out of 12 experimental groups. A 48-h absence induced development of new neotenics in all 12 experimental groups. Pseudergates and nymphs can be orphaned for up to 12 h a day without being stimulated to differentiate, after which the number of new neotenics increased gradually with the time for which the reproductive pair was absent. This suggests that the inhibitory process is continuous and cumulative. Both sexes showed similar sensitivity to the absence of reproductives. The study also tested, by exchanging pseudergates between groups with functional pairs and orphaned groups, whether pseudergates in experimental groups actively spread inhibitory factors; however, this was not proven. Only pseudergates and nymphs that were in direct contact with the functional pair were inhibited.

The first instar larvae (triungulins) of Meloe (Meloegonius Reitter) rufiventris Germar, 1817, M. (Micromeloe Reitter) uralensis Pallas, 1777 and M. (Eurymeloe Reitter) scabriusculus Brandt & Erichson, 1832 are described, which were before unknown. The systematic relationship to closely related species is discussed. A key is included which allows to identify all triungulins of the genus Meloe from Central Europe.

Markers are essential to study movements of insects in their natural habitat. Among the available techniques, trace elements may be applied to insects as small as parasitoids. Rubidium is the most common element used for marking insects. In this study, we propose a simple marking technique for Aphidius rhopalosiphi De Stefani Perez with Rb, when reared on the grain aphid Sitobion avenae Fabricius (Hemiptera: Aphididae) marked on a RbCl incorporated diet. Our results show that the rubidium in an artificial diet is transferred to the aphid and eventually to the parasitoid. The content in rubidium marking did not differ between genders. The aphids stung by a marked parasitoid could not be distinguished from unmarked aphids on the basis of their rubidium content. There were no effects of rubidium on size, fecundity, longevity and sex ratio of the parasitoid, but the marked individuals emerged significantly later than the unmarked. We did not detect differences concerning host acceptance by marked and unmarked parasitoids. This technique may be applicable to other aphidophagous insects after some preliminary evaluations.

The black bean aphid, Aphis fabae, is polyphagous and its life cycle involves seasonal migration between summer and winter host plants. The aphids are regularly tended by honeydew-collecting ants. This study investigates whether differences exist in honeydew production and honeydew sugar composition for A. fabae subspecies feeding on various host plants and whether such differences reflect differences in the intensity of ant-atttendance (Lasius niger).
A. f. fabae feeding on the perennial summer host, Tanacetum vulgare, produced twice the amount of honeydew (ca. 110 µg per aphid ^. h^-1) than when feeding on the annual host plants Vicia faba or Chenopodium album. Honeydew production of A. f. cirsiiacanthoides feeding on the creeping thistle Cirsium arvense was the highest measured in this study (ca. 150 µg per aphid ^. h^-1). Total sugar concentration in the honeydew of A. f. fabae did not differ when feeding on various summer hosts, whereas the honeydew of A. f. cirsiiacanthoides on C. arvense contained a significantly higher amount of total sugars. The trisaccharide melezitose was the dominant sugar in all the honeydew samples, except for the honeydew of A. f. fabae and A. f. evonymi feeding on the woody winter host plant Evonymus europaeus. The highest proportion of melezitose (80% of total sugars) was found in the honeydew of A. f. cirsiiacanthoides feeding on C. arvense. In this subspecies, the intensity of ant-attendance was also highest. The results confirm our hypothesis, that the sugar richness of the honeydew (rate of honeydew secretion × total sugar concentration) along with the presence of the attractant sugar melezitose are the critical factors in determining the extent of ant-attendance.
In A. f. fabae feeding on the spindle tree E. europaeus, the total sugar concentration of the honeydew as well as the sugar composition differed significantly between generations.

Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is a worldwide pest of vegetable, ornamental and field crops. Biotype B of B. tabaci, which is economically most important of the biotypes, is distinct from all other biotypes (non-B biotypes). Fourteen populations of B. tabaci were collected from different localities and host plants in the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, namely TWYDH (tassel flower, Taiwan), HNYC (tobacco, Hainan), GXNG (pumpkin, Guangxi), GDYPH (poinsettia, Guangdong), GDBSM (croton, Guangdong), GDFS (Chinese hibiscus, Guangdong), SHYPH (poinsettia, Shanghai), FJGS (sweet potato, Fujian), SDFQ (tomato, Shandong), BJXHL (squash, Beijing), XJQZ (eggplant, Xinjiang), XJYPH (poinsettia, Xinjiang), XJJM (abutilon, Xinjiang) and XJMH (cotton, Xinjiang). The internally transcribed spacer 1 sequences (ITS1) of ribosomal DNA of B biotype and other biotypes were sequenced and analyzed. The B biotype-specific primers were then designed for rapid identification of B biotype of B. tabaci. The results show that the diagnostic primer only gave a positive result with the B biotype. This is the first report of a rapid means of identifying B. tabaci B biotype using a diagnostic primer based on ribosomal DNA. This protocol is especially useful for identifying the B biotype in Bemisia populations consisting of several biotypes.

The impact of transgenic Bt-maize, expressing the Cry1Ab protein, on aphids, leafhoppers, cutworms and wireworms was evaluated at the farm scale by comparing their abundance on Bt-plots and those sown with the isogenic variety over three consecutive growing seasons. The impact of Bt-maize was different on each of the three-herbivore groups. There were significantly more aphids on the Bt-maize but in terms of aphid species, the difference was only statistically significant for Sitobion avenae and not for the other three most abundant species (Metopolophium dirhodum, Rhopalosiphum padi and Macrosiphum euphorbiae). The analysis of aphid age structure showed consistently more individuals on Bt-plots; differences were significant for alates, apterous adults and young nymphs of R. padi, apterous adults and apterous fourth instar nymphs of S. avenae, alates, apterous adults and apterous fourth instar nymphs of M. dirhodum. Leafhoppers (Zyginidia scutellaris), particularly mature nymphs, were also more abundant on the Bt-maize. In spite of this there was no difference in leafhopper damage to Bt and non Bt-maize. The reasons for this are unclear but may be due to changes in Bt-maize that favoured aphids and leafhoppers. Differences in aphid and leafhopper densities were not high enough to affect yield. However, they may have affected the availability of prey for polyphagous predators such as Orius sp. The Bt-maize did not affect the incidence of cutworms (Agrotis segetum) or wireworms (Agriotes lineatus). These results indicate that Bt-maize does not have a negative impact on the non-target maize biocenosis at the farm scale.

The aestivo-hibernation in central Greece of the aphidophagous ladybeetle Hippodamia (Semiadalia) undecimnotata (Schneider) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) was studied. H. undecimnotata is a multivoltine species in Greece. In the lowlands, all instars are abundant in spring, becoming scarce from July until the end of October and they are absent in winter. In June, most H. undecimnotata adults migrate to mountainous aestivo-hibernation sites. The duration of pre-oviposition period in females sampled monthly from the summits of the mountains Chlomo and Kitheron in central Greece and transferred to laboratory conditions of high temperature (25°C), long day (16L : 8D), and abundance of aphids (Aphis fabae), indicated that the H. undecimnotata females were in diapause during July and August. The diapause gradually terminated from late August to late October and was followed by a period of quiescence extending from November to March of the following year. During the summer diapause, arrested ovarian development was indicated by the undifferentiated state of the ovaries in all females. Males and females had enlarged fat bodies, and the median preoviposition period after the transfer to the laboratory was 92 days in early July and 64 days in early August. During the winter quiescence, arrested ovarian development was characterized by immature ovaries in females and, in some samples, by vitellogenic resorption in a few females. In winter, adults contained varying amounts of fat body reserves, and the median preoviposition period of females transferred to breeding conditions was 30 days in early November and 16 days in mid January.

The effect of different wavelengths of light, white (control; broad spectrum), blue (ca. 475 nm), yellow (ca. 570 nm) and red (ca. 650 nm), at constant intensity (195 ± 5 lux) on developmental time, reproductive and non-reproductive periods, fecundity, egg viability, prey consumption and fitness of two aphidophagous ladybirds, Cheilomenes sexmaculata and Propylea dissecta were studied. Both ladybird species consumed most aphids, developed fastest and reproduced best when kept under white light, followed by yellow, blue and red light. Fitness of both the ladybirds was highest under white and lowest under red light. There were positive correlations between prey consumption and developmental rate, and prey consumption and fecundity.

Concordant differences in morphology, phenology and RAMS markers, as well as in sequenced mtDNA (COI, COII, cytb) and nuclear DNA (ITS2) fragments, indicate that Dolerus asper Zaddach, 1859 and Dolerus brevicornis Zaddach, 1859 are valid species. On the basis of morphology, molecular markers, and distributional records, both species are distinct from Dolerus gibbosus Hartig, 1837 (= Dolerus planatus Hartig, 1837). Taxonomy of the species is clarified and the neotypes of Dolerus asper Zaddach, 1859 and Dolerus brevicornis Zaddach, 1859 are designated. The synonymies of Dolerus asper Zaddach, 1859, to Dolerus planatus Hartig, 1837 and Dolerus derzavini Malaise, 1931, spec. rev. to D. asper Zaddach, 1859 are abandoned. Dolerus carbonarius Zaddach, 1859 and Dolerus fumosus Zaddach, 1859 are considered to be species inquirendae. Phylogenetic analyses of the ITS2 fragment and fragments of ITS2 + COI and ITS2 + COII yielded the topology [D. asper, (D. brevicornis, D. gibbosus)], while those of all other markers and their combinations resulted in the topology [D. brevicornis, (D. asper, D. gibbosus)]. In the latter hypothesis the clade asper + gibbosus is also supported by structural synapomorphies.

Löbl I. & Smetana A. (eds): CATALOGUE OF PALAEARCTIC COLEOPTERA. Vol. 3, Scarabaeoidea, Scirtoidea, Dascilloidea, Buprestoidea, Byrrhoidea, 2006, 690 pp., ISBN 87-88757-59-5; Vol. 4, Elateroidea, Derodontoidea, Bostrichoidea, Lymexyloidea, Cleroidea, Cucujoidea, 2007, 935 pp., ISBN 87-88757-67-6; Vol. 5, Tenebrionoidea, 2008, 670 pp., ISBN 978-87-88757-69-9; Apollo Books, Stenstrup. ISBN 87-88757-71-4 or 978-87-88757-71-2 (Vols 1-8) (hardbacks).

Brill, Leiden- Boston, 673 pp.

Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2000, xii + 476 pp. ISBN 0-691-04430-9, Hardcover, Price USD 36.95.

n/a

Reaktion Books, London, 2006, 222 pp. ISBN 13-978-186189-294-2, 10-1-186189-294-2. Price GBP 12.95.

Under continuous light (LL) of low intensity (up to 2.0 lux), the free-running period of the blow fly activity rhythm lengthened for flies whose initial τ_DD was less than about 25 h, but shortened for longer-period flies. Light intensity above about 2.0 lux led to an overt behavioural arrhythmicity. A comparison of phases of the oscillation after LL as a function of phases before LL, however, indicated that the oscillation continued its motion even though overt behaviour was arrhythmic. As the intensity during LL increased to 48 lux, phases after LL became centred on a narrow range close to CT 12. Extended periods of brighter light are considered to have two effects: (a) an exogenous "masking" effect occurring at intensities greater than about 2.0 lux, and (b) at intensities between about 2.0 and 48 lux, a gradual resetting of the covert oscillator to CT 12. Between 2.0 and 48 lux, therefore, the circadian oscillation governing locomotor activity in C. vicina continues its motion despite the superficial arrhythmicity in behaviour.